Method of decorating fabric



Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE No Drawing.Application September 20, 1935, Serial No. 41,501

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the ornamentation of fabrics such as silks andtextile materials and may be used in the production of ornamented bedspreads, wall and floor coverings, draperies, fur- 5 niture covers,wearing apparel, hand bags and the like; in fact the inventor does notwish to be limited with respect to the uses to which the decoratedfabric may be appropriated.

It is an object of this invention to produce tapa designs on fabrics,which designs Will be sunproof and tub-fast and further the inventionconsists in the provision of means for expeditiously and effectivelydecorating fabrics by the printing of tapa or other designs on theaforesaid fabrics.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists inthe method, and the steps thereof to be hereinafter more fully set forthand claimed.

In carrying the invention into practice, the fabric is applied to ablock or form on which the desired designs are carved or engraved and inthis connection the materials from which the blocks are made maycomprise wood, metal or 25 plastic compositions. By reason of the factthat the fabric is applied directly to the member having the design, theinterposition of paper between the fabric and the block is dispensedwith as unnecessary in accomplishing perfect registry of the fabric anddesign.

The fabric is applied to the design after a weak solution or mixture oflap paste has been applied to the block and spread smoothly on thedesign and after the said fabric is stretched on or smoothly applied tothe design, the surface of the fabric is rubbed with a member carryingthe color or colors. In practice, a cloth or other suitable materialdipped in the color or colors as a carrier of the said coloring matterhas been found efiicient and satisfactory for when the coloring is soapplied the design on the block is immediately registered on the fabric.

The invention renders it possible to print the fabricor apply thecoloring before the lap paste is dried as there is not enough pasteemployed to cause it to penetrate the fabric or wet the outer surface ofthe fabric, and the printed material may be removed from the blockimmediately after the printing has been effected. By reason of the saidfact, a great amount of time may be saved as compared With the oldmethods of printing wherein the fabric had to be dampened after the lappaste had hardened in order to soften the adhesive material.

While lap paste has been mentioned as an adhesive material employed, anypaste that contains no chemical affecting the colors to be used inprinting may be used with satisfactory results.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the inventionis carried into effect by carving a design on a block or engraving thesame on metal or other material having a hard surface. Thereafter thefabric is secured on the block by the use of an interposed adhesive suchas a Weak mixture of lap paste, the said fabric being then subjected toa coating or to the application of color or colors as by rubbing thefabric with a cloth or other suitable material dampened in the coloringso that the said cloth will carry the coloring in a sufficient degree totransfer the color to the fabric, the said cloth being manipulated onthe fabric until the desired registry of the design is accomplished.When the registry of the design is satisfactorily accomplished thedecorated material may be immediately removed from the designs and whendried is in a finished state.

Under certain conditions the fabric may be retained on the block bymanual or mechanical means.

For very thick materials, such as bed spread, wall and floor coverings,the goods must be soaked in water and spread straight on a flat surfaceto be sundried before blocking. This would make a wrinkled effect of atap-a. For other purposes the goods may be blocked Without using thisprocess.

From what has been stated, it is obvious that the printing is donebywhat may be termed hand blocking and it may also. be disclosed thatthe coloring agent may be produced by a mixture of printing ink and aliquid reducer in order that it will result in a thin mixture differingin proportions or depth of color according to the shade desired.Colorings other than printing ink may be used if it is soap and sun fastin character.

I claim:

1. The method of deco-rating fabric by tapa printing or the likeconsisting in pasting a fabric on a hard surface of a member having adesign, rubbing the fabric with a member carrying a fluid containing thedesign coloring until the registry of the design on the fabric isaccomplished and removing the fabric from the design.

2. The method of decorating fabric by tapa printing or the like whichconsists in applying a weak mixture of paste to a surface having adesign, covering the design with a fabric, rubbing the outer surface ofthe fabric with an element dried, applying said fabric to a memberhaving a design for ornamenting the said fabric, rub-- bing the outersurface of said fabric with a fluid with a coloring agent until thedesired registry of the design is accomplished and in removing 5 saidfabric from the design,

KIPENI SUA.

